San Mateo man arrested after crashing into creek Super Bowl Sunday

SAN MATEO -- A 22-year-old man was arrested Super Bowl Sunday after he allegedly drove drunk into a San Mateo creek and fled from the wreckage with an injured passenger.

Andy Lazaro was booked on charges of felony hit and run and driving under the influence after he veered his pickup truck into a creek off Fourth Avenue near Highway 101, San Mateo police spokesman David Norris said. The truck was found submerged in the water about 10:10 p.m. with a stream of blood trailing from the wreck.

Officers followed the trail of blood north into a neighborhood about half a mile before it stopped at a residence in the 1000 block of Cypress Avenue, Norris said. From there, a resident directed officers to the nearby home of the injured passenger, a 20-year-old man who has not been identified.

Lazaro, the driver of the truck, was found a short time later after officers tracked the truck's registration to another nearby home, said Norris, who added that both the suspect and his passenger lived within several blocks of the crash scene.

Both men were briefly hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening before Lazaro was taken to jail to be booked for hit and run, DUI and resisting arrest.

In light of the DUI arrest, San Mateo police reminded residents to make designated drivers a part of their holiday planning just as much as any part of the festivity.

"Such celebrations are high time for DUIs," Norris said. "Event nights such as Fourth of July, New Year's Eve and Sunday's Super Bowl are naturally a reason for people to get together and celebrate, and often alcoholic beverages are part of that -- the danger is much higher."

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But the acknowledgment of rampant drinking comes with no wiggle room for people who choose to drive afterward, said Norris, who reminded revelers to have a good time, but to do it responsibly.